kindling season

Kindling Season: What a beauty!

I love this sweater/coat that I knit from super soft Malabrigo Yarn.
And the pattern is clever and simple to knit with a design on the back that really makes it special and not boring to knit.

It also has pockets! This should fit for several years down the road. My only change was to shorten the sleeves by 15 rows. If I choose I could always go back and make them longer when needed.

making: jewelry

I was inspired to make some jewelry especially with the holidays approaching and here are a few of the pieces that have been finished. The bracelets are all czech beads and the two with smaller beads are child size. The red is adult size and is a little loose like a bangle for movement. The necklaces are made with beads strung on silk cord in varying metals. I have been wearing the silver 'noodle' (this is what my daughter named it) on a gray cord since I made it yesterday. One of the necklaces (the gold and silver balls) is for her since she picked out the beads at Toho Shoji on Saturday. Always a fun place to go.

a blank canvas

I just finished knitting Ysolda Teague's blank canvas pattern on Saturday. I chose the same shade but in a different wool. Aren't those photos of her so pretty? I wish I had the time to take proper photos but, since it seems I am usually the only one able to do it this is what I get.

It took me a month to knit this with a few other knitting projects thrown in ( a hat and some mitts) to break it up. And though this pattern is quite basic there are nice details in the waist shaping and sleeves. I haven't blocked it out yet so I know it's going to get even better but, I just could not wait to wear it today! The yarn choice is a first for me- it's Elizabeth Lavold Silky Wool in 109 Med. Gray (a blend of wool, silk and nylon). I found it at a cute yarn shop I happened upon at the end of August on a summer drive through the country.

I know myself well enough now to buy one extra skein which I only needed for the collar band and finishing details but, I have made this mistake before and it is not fun having to wait and/or not getting the right dye lot again. This sweater is making me very happy as it's soft enough to wear against the skin with a nice drape. The 3/4 sleeves are perfect for me too.

There are still some things growing out in the garden. I'm going to let the carrots grow through the winter and see what happens. Though I think I should harvest the rest of the lettuces and chard.

friday patchwork

Playing around with the simple 9 patch and trying to decide if I want a whole quilt of it. I'm not sure. I've always wanted to make a red and white quilt. If you know me it's probably pretty obvious that red is my favorite color.

I often look back at my photos from this exhibit which was and is still so inspiring.

Have a good weekend. Tomorrow we celebrate Matthew's 8th birthday!

woven placemat

I've bookmarked a lot of the projects in Lena Corwin's new book Made by Hand. There are so many good ones.

The first one I have finished was my friend Jaime's project: a woven placemat.
You need to make your own loom for this project which was fairly simple - I ordered the screen printing frame from Dick Blick and the nails are hammered in on the two vertical sides leaving the horizontal sides free to weave.

The fabric is cut into 1" strips of two different fabrics for the warp and weft (I used Liberty of London and a linen/cotton blend) and weave away. I thought I cut the weft fabric correctly but it frayed a lot as I was weaving perhaps because of the friction but I am not sure so I will try a different fabric next time for that.

Here are few of many of the projects I would like to make.

beaded necklaces

baskets

I am likely to knit Jenny Gordy's sock pattern first but, we will see.

the sweetheart dress

I made the Sweetheart dress yesterday. The pattern is pretty similar to the Sally with the exception of pockets and the cutout heart.
The fabric is Denyse Schmidt, Shelburne Falls in Deco Fans. I like the fabric pattern a lot and this color is one of her favorites. She is very opinionated about clothes and this got approval though she will get more use of it next year now that the season has changed.
It is always nice to see patterns that celebrate childhood like this and always fun for me to sew.

the sally dress

Love the Sally dress pattern! It's playful and sweet with an innocent quality and charm to it. The pattern is just a few pieces and has a few different options for sleeves. It was very easy to sew and I already want to make another but, I'm going to make the sweetheart dress next because who can resist a cutout heart at the back.

The Sally Dress is a Very Shannon Pattern.